Awareness about Autism among Primary Healthcare Providers in Oman: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: Many developing countries such as Oman are marred with the rising tide of children with autism and the lack of specialized services for these children. Within existing compartmentalized and centralized health care organizations, the general practitioners (GPs) are likely to serve as the first level of contact relevant for diagnosis and referral for remedial services. This study aims to explore the awareness of autism among GPs in Oman on issue pertinent to etiology, signs and symptoms, perceived correlates, as well as the consequence of having autism. Related to this is to examine whether years of medical practice would invariably influence GPs’ awareness. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among GPs (n=113) working at primary healthcare centers (PHC) during September 2013 to February 2014 in Muscat, the capital of Oman.RESULTS: The GPs appear to have suboptimal awareness of etiological factors relevant for the development of autism, its common signs and symptoms, perceived correlates, as well as the social dimension. Number of years in practice has little bearing on awareness.CONCLUSION: Empirical evidence has unequivocally indicated that although there is no known ‘cure’ for autism, early identification and early intervention tend to better the quality of life for children with autism. This means GPs in Oman should be fitted with adequate awareness of such population.

Stress, anxiety, and depression among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder in Oman: a case-control study

Previous studies carried out in Euro-American populations have unequivocally indicated that psychological disorders of the CASD (caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder) are marked with high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. This finding has been attributed to the reaction of having to care for a child with neurodevelopmental disorders. While there have been reports on autism spectrum disorder in Arab/Islamic countries such as Oman, there is no study from this region, to our knowledge, reporting the performance of indices of stress, anxiety, and depression among CASD. This study aimed to examine whether there is variation in the performance of indices of stress, depression, and anxiety explored via Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 among CASD, caregivers of children with intellectual disabilities, and caregivers of typically developing children. All indices of stress, depression, and anxiety were higher in CASD compared to other caregivers in the control group. This study corroborates with other studies carried out in other populations that caring for children impacts the mental health status of caregivers. Therefore, there are strong grounds to contemplate the mechanism to help such a vulnerable group of family caregivers.

A study on knowledge, attitude, and practice towards premarital carrier screening among adults attending primary healthcare centers in a region in Oman

Background

Despite that hereditary diseases are widespread among the Arab population due to high rates of consanguineous marriages, research regarding community awareness towards premarital carrier screening in some countries such as Oman, is extremely scarce. This study aimed to investigate knowledge and attitude towards premarital carrier screening (PMCS) in Oman.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire which was distributed to 400 Omani adults aged 20–35 who attended primary healthcare institutions at the South Batinah Governorate in Oman.

Results

The majority of the participants (84.5%) believed that PMCS was necessary, and about half of them (49.5%) supported the view of making PMCS compulsory. On the contrary, approximately one third (30.5%) of the participants reported that they were not in favor of taking the blood screening test. Overall, unwillingness to perform pre-marital testing was associated with female gender, younger age, being single, less education, and increased income.

Conclusion

Despite the relatively high level of knowledge, about one third of the participants were still reluctant to carry out premarital testing. Such attitude calls for immediate need for community-based campaigns to encourage the public to do premarital testing.

Levels of heavy metals and essential minerals in hair samples of children with autism in Oman: a case-control study

Toxic levels of heavy metals and low levels of essential minerals have been suggested to play a critical role in the pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This study documents the levels of heavy metals and essential minerals in hair samples of children with ASD in Muscat, the urbanized capital of Oman, Muscat. The study included 27 children with ASD and 27 matched non-ASD controls. Parental interviews were held and dietary intake questionnaires completed in conjunction with the collection of hair samples. Analysis of heavy metals and essential minerals was carried out by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Chi-square analysis and non-parametric Fisher's exact tests were used to assess statistical significance. Children with ASD had significantly higher levels of all 11 analyzed heavy metals in their hair samples (P < 0.05), ranging from 150 to 365 % of control levels. ASD children also had significantly higher levels of essential minerals sulfur, sodium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, and iron, but lower levels of calcium and copper in their hair samples. This study corroborates data from previous studies in different parts of the world indicating the presence of elevated levels of heavy metals and selective depletion of essential minerals in the hair of children with ASD.